29 August 2013

10 Basic Kitchen Utensils That Will Serve You Well

Whether you are looking to learn how to cook or taking up a new interest in baking, having the essential yet basic kitchen utensils at hand will serve you well.

Whatever the reason for your interest in stocking up your kitchen with handy kitchen gadgets, start slowly with the basics. You can always add to your repertoire of kitchen gadgets throughout the years as you go along.

What you will need to start:

A Good Set of Knives

A good set of knives will serve you well from the outset. Not only will a good set of knives get the job done, they will also help you avoid unnecessary cuts. When you purchase a set of knives that is a little more expensive than your average set, in most cases you will be getting good quality. Here is one area that you do not want to skimp. Make sure that your blades are made of high carbon stainless steel. You will also want to make sure that a chef’s knife and serrated knife are included in your set. Even if you have to purchase these separately, they are worth their weight in gold.

Various Utensils

The more kitchen utensils you have, the better. There is never such a thing as too many utensils. You will most certainly need:

A slotted spoon which is excellent for allowing oils and fats behind when serving

A spaghetti fork is a great way to stir and serve spaghetti. When stirring with a spaghetti fork, spaghetti does not stick together. I use my spaghetti fork for stirring the spaghetti of course but it’s also great for separating rice and noodles and for serving pasta and potato salads.

A set of tongs is perfect for everything from light salads to serving chicken. We have long handled tongs for the barbecue and a couple of smaller sets for everyday use.

A handful of wooden spoons useful for everything from sauce to pie fillings

A large metal fork which is perfect for serving heavier foods

A wire whisk that is useful for everything from beating eggs to mixing all kinds of ingredients

Spatulas that are both metal and plastic or silicone. Metal spatulas are useful to remove heavier foods from their original pans or to flip a burger and plastic and silicone spatulas are great for baking needs.

Measuring Spoons and Cups

Measuring spoons and cups are essential for a well-stocked kitchen, especially if you are just starting out. Back in the day, women mainly relied on a pinch of this and a pinch of that. However, today that seems to be a lost art. So, until you are comfortable cooking and baking by eye, these are essential:

Plastic measuring spoons

Metal measuring spoons

Plastic measuring cups

Glass measuring cup

I prefer the Tupperware measuring cups. They last forever, stack in the cupboard neatly and come in ¼, 1/3, ½, 2/3, ¾ and 1 cup measures. I’ve had my set for over 30 years and they are still as good as the day I bought them (they are a lovely apple green!).

For measuring spoons I use the Tupperware set, and again I’ve had it for over 30 years. I also have a set of the Symply Too Good measuring spoons and love them; they are especially handy for mixing spice mixes in bulk quantities.

These are just the basics of a well-stocked beginner’s kitchen. With time adding to your kitchen arsenal with more advanced tools will be as easy as pie.

3 comments:

I too have the apple green tuppaware measuring cups that are over 30 years old. My rotary egg beater came from my Mum as did the tuppaware rolling pin. I have handed the latter to my daughter as I treated myself to a Huon Pine one when in Tasmania.

Thanks for the reminder - I've been looking for a pair of good quality long tongs for the barbecue - very hard to find a sturdy pair that won't bend. I have a "pickerupperer" that Mum bought for my step-father years ago and it comes in handy for reaching into tight spots - I use it mostly to get under the fridge to clean rather than picking up though :)

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